A teen fisherman is lucky not to have been impaled by the bill of a marlin after shock close encounter off the coast of Sydney.
Cooper "Coops" McGlashan, son of well-known angler Al McGlashan, was three miles off the heads of Sydney Harbour when he and his father hooked up to a juvenile black marlin.
Young McGlashan, just 16, had reeled the fish to the boat and was attempting to grab the leader line when the fish jumped and narrowly missed striking him with its bill.
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"I have grabbed the leader, but the fish has decided he wants to be in the boat and has come straight for me," Cooper told Today.
Thankfully the marlin did not hit anyone on the boat - including the pair's dog Bingo - and was safely released.
Late summer into autumn is the ideal time for anglers off Sydney to catch marlin, as warm currents of water push baitfish down Australia's eastern seaboard.
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Black marlin can grow to impressive lengths of up to five metres and can weigh over 700 kg, with anglers likely to hook fish of any size from juveniles to mature adults.
Despite popular opinion a marlin's bill is not commonly used to "spear" prey, but as a slashing device to disorientate and injure baitfish when passing though a bait ball.
Reported injuries from marlin are uncommon and likely the result of anglers handling hooked fish in the confined space of a boat.
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